FDBusiness.com

Packaging firm Sonoco has inaugurated a new packaging solutions studio in South Carolina, where experts will make use of the latest technologies to turn ideas into innovative packaging concepts.

The new facility is the result of a $12m investment and is located on the site of Sonoco’s existing headquarters in Hartsville, 60 miles northeast of Columbia. The IPS Studio is a cutting-edge research, development and innovation centre that will connect consumer and market insights to facilitate the invention of new packaging solutions, Sonoco said.

Key features include a consumer interaction space enabling live, direct observation of consumers interacting with products and packaging in a range of contexts; technology for the development of structural design and manufacturing options that access potential for commercialisation; a pilot plant to test manufacturing performance; and rapid prototyping labs that aid in developing engineered prototypes that can then be tested in real world simulation spaces.

A company spokesperson said: “The IPS Studio brings together people, ideas and experiences in a physical environment that fosters innovation. A key part of this blueprint for channeling intellectual capital is Sonoco’s i6 Innovation ProcessT where insights, ideation and invention come together in a step-by-step process that starts every conversation with the customer. With the packaging industry’s broadest portfolio, deep expertise in design, testing and material science, and a disciplined process for innovation, Sonoco is uniquely positioned to create a 360° Customized SolutionT for customers.”

Founded in 1899, Sonoco is a United States-based international provider of diversified consumer packaging, industrial products, protective packaging, and packaging supply chain services, and the world’s largest producer of composite cans, tubes, and cores. Sonoco has 19,900 employees in more than 335 operations in 33 countries, serving more than 85 nations. The company is headquartered in Hartsville, South Carolina.